Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 7, 2024 49 N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S BY TODD D. BURLAGE S peculation met reality last month when results of a self-imposed, external investigation into misdoings within the Notre Dame men's swim team led to the suspension of the pro- gram for at least the 2024-25 academic year, and perhaps longer. Notre Dame director of athletics Pete Bevacqua announced through a press re- lease Aug. 15 that the investigation by law firm Ropes & Gray LLP uncovered "nu- merous violations of NCAA rules prohib- iting gambling," along with other unspec- ified "cultural issues" inside the program. The Notre Dame men's and women's dive teams, and its women's swim team, are unaffected by the disciplinary action. Concerns about the men's program surfaced at the end of the 2023-24 school year, causing Notre Dame to ini- tiate its own internal review. After un- covering enough information to raise red flags, the university decided on a more thorough independent investigation. "The external review confirmed and expanded our initial concerns," Bevacqua stated. "… While individual conduct var- ied, the overwhelming cultural dynamic on the team necessitates a full suspension." This serious disciplinary action comes following what could be considered the best season in Notre Dame men's swim- ming history. The Irish finished second in the ACC Championships in February, then earned a 10th-place finish in the NCAA Championships in March, both all-time program bests. In addition, the team sent two student-athletes to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. With the program momentum and good vibes now washed away, the task be- comes simply keeping the program afloat. After the announcement of the suspen- sion, the 2024-25 Irish men's swimming roster was removed from the Notre Dame athletics website FightingIrish.com. "In order to ensure that this behavior ends and to rebuild a culture of dignity, respect and exemplary conduct," Bev- acqua added, "we have decided to sus- pend the men's swimming program for at least one academic year." The timing of the announcement en- abled student-athletes wishing to trans- fer — including incoming freshmen — to do so before classes began Aug. 27. If there is any silver lining to this diffi- cult situation, Bevacqua indicated in his statement that the investigation revealed no wrongdoing within the Irish coaching staff and that second-year head coach Chris Lindauer — the architect of the program's dramatic ascent — and his as- sistants will be retained. "The staff was not aware of gambling or the scope and extent of other troubling behaviors," Bevacqua explained, "because team members effectively concealed such behaviors from the coaches and staff through their concerted efforts." In a separate statement, Lindauer said that he agreed with the university's de- cision to suspend the program in order to rebuild a culture of excellence. "While it has been a difficult few months, I am confident that Notre Dame took the correct steps to ensure this mis- conduct does not continue," Lindauer said. "… I am hopeful we will emerge from this situation stronger than ever." Notre Dame has offered few specif- ics on what led to the shocking pro- gram suspension. Renowned Sports Illustrated writer Pat Forde explained — using unnamed sources — that Irish swimmers were wagering amongst themselves on finishing times in cer- tain races, a blatant violation of NCAA gambling rules. Without offering specifics, Forde also reported that the culture issues cited in the review stem from a group text chat among team members that did not meet Notre Dame's "expectation that they treat one another with dignity and respect," as representatives of the university. "While we are certainly disappointed by the actions that led to the decision, we recognize that our students make mistakes, and our goal is to educate and support them to the best of our ability," Bevacqua continued. Among the many lingering and un- answered questions are how many stu- dent-athletes will stay with the pro- gram, and what will be the fate of star swimmer Chris Guiliano? The rising Irish senior set numerous program freestyle records last season and won gold and silver medals in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle relay races, respectively, at the Paris Olym- pics. Guiliano — who was reportedly one of a "small number" of team mem- bers not involved in the offenses — now faces a difficult stay-or-go decision. At press time, there was no news of a transfer for Guiliano. "We profoundly regret that the small number of team members who did not participate in the conduct, and those who were planning on joining the team this fall, will also suffer the conse- quences of this decision," Bevacqua said. "We deeply value our responsibilities as educators and our commitment to our student-athletes, and will work with other university offices to provide sup- port to those affected by our decision." ✦ Irish Men's Swim Program Suspended Notre Dame director of athletics Pete Bevacqua announced Aug. 15 that the Irish men's swim team would be suspended for at least the 2024‑25 academic year, noting the overwhelming cultural dynamic on the team necessitated it. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER IRISH ROUNDUP MEN'S SOCCER (0‑0‑2 OVERALL, 0‑0 ACC) Opened the season with a 1-1 tie versus Ak- ron Aug. 22 in Alumni Stadium … Played Indi- ana to a 2-2 draw Aug. 29 in Bloomington, Ind. WOMEN'S SOCCER (3‑1 OVERALL, 0‑0 ACC) Began the season with a 2-1 loss to Michigan State Aug. 15 in Alumni Stadium … Bounced back with a 6-0 victory at Samford Aug. 18, a 4-0 win versus TCU Aug. 25 in South Bend and a 2-0 triumph over Michigan Aug. 29 in Ann Arbor.